Pocket Gamer Connects returned to Jordan this month. The conference provided its traditional networking opportunities, many fantastic talks, panels, and active fringe events, including the Jordan Game Awards, Connector SpeedMatch and, of course, the Very Big Indie Pitch. With over 2,500 people registered to participate across the two days, it was a fantastic success, becoming one of our biggest-ever events.
The Very Big Indie Pitch, the popular game pitching competition, was this time open to all platforms, with developers battling it out to see which games caught the eyes of our panel of experts. The pitchers had only five minutes to impress each judge before moving on to the next table. It's like indie game speed dating, rapidly switching from judge to judge. With a wide variety of games and platforms, along with business models, there was a lot for judges to take into consideration.
After the pitch, our judges got together to deliberate, providing tons of valuable feedback on the games and pitch style. Each developer received feedback, but only three games made it to the top - and of those, only one game swiped the legendary Golden Baseball Bat.
For this specific Very Big Indie Pitch, we saw 15 indie developers pitch to our judges. There was a massive variety, from realistic simulators to casual match-3 games. It was a tough competition, but our judges eventually settled on their top three.
First Place: Cat's Vote by Danar Dev (PC, iOS)
Cat's Vote is a resource management game where you play as an adorable cat. You have limited resources and need to manage your family's happiness through your decisions and what you spend those resources on. Your cat decision-making skills need to be utilised carefully during an election, where the candidates might not even be ones you can trust, because ultimately, your decisions will make a difference in the happiness of your family and the greater community.
Cat's Vote isn't a juicy-looking game; instead, it is presented in a charming and easy-to-understand way. Your decisions and choices do make a difference to the end of the game, and it's interesting to see exactly what you can affect and have control over.
Second Place - Crush! by Hyena Hon (PC)
Crush! is a two-player, couch-battling game where both players control the same vehicle. Both players are trying to make their way to specific locations on the map, capturing points. The only issue is that primary control of the shared vehicle changes within a small amount of time. Players have some special abilities, but they need time to recharge.
Crush! was a completely new mechanic for all of our judges. They were all surprised and delighted to play something that felt so new and fresh. The game itself does take a bit of getting used to, but it's a fantastic game to play alongside a friend.
Third Place - Both of Us by Sitara (Android, PC)
Both of Us is a narrative-driven adventure game that follows a father and daughter duo. The daughter, Zoya, is struggling with depression after the loss of her mother. Her father is dealing with this loss in his own way, primarily by working. After the breakdown of the relationship between these two, Zoya's doll transports them to a dark realm where they both need to work together to take on challenges and help their bond grow.
Both of Us is designed to raise awareness about mental health. The aim is to provide key values essential for overcoming mental health issues through the story and gameplay.
Congratulations to all the participants and the three top games. You can read more about the winner, Cat's Vote, in our recent Steam Next Fest interview.
Want to show off your exciting new game? We host Big Indie Pitch events throughout the year, so make sure to regularly check our upcoming events page over on BigIndiePitch.com.
